With Peter O’Toole
Hammersmith Is Out
J. CORNELIUS CREAN FILMS INC./CINERAMA
CAST
Elizabeth Taylor Jimmie Jean Jackson
Richard Burton Hammersmith
Peter Ustinov Doctor
Beau Bridges Billy Breedlove
Leon Ames General Sam Pembroke
Leon Askin Dr. Krodt
George Raft Guido Scartucci
John Schuck Henry Joe
Marjorie Eaton Princess
Lisa Jak Kiddo
CREDITS
Alex Lucas (producer); Peter Ustinov (director); Stanford Whitmore (screenplay); Richard H. Kline (photography); Dominic Frontiere (music); Robert Benton (set decorations); Newton Arnold (assistant director); David Blewitt (editor); Edith Head (Elizabeth’s costumes); Claudye Bozzacchi (hairstylist); Ron Berkeley (makeup)
RELEASE DATE: May 12, 1972
RUN TIME: 108 minutes, color
SUMMARY: The criminally insane Hammersmith is locked away in a mental institution from which he wishes to attain freedom. He convinces asylum orderly Billy Breedlove to assist in his escape. In return for Billy’s invaluable aid, Hammersmith says that he will help Billy obtain all the money and power in the world that he desires. With Billy’s girlfriend, a hash-slinger named Jimmie Jean Jackson, at their side, the escapees embark on a series of wild adventures. From owning a go-go club to running international businesses to taking over Washington, D.C., each enterprise increases their wealth and power exponentially. Equally swelled is the size of Billy’s head, a problem which is left for Jimmie Jean and Hammersmith to remedy—once and for all.
With Beau Bridges, as the alliteratively named Billy Breedlove and Jimmie Jean Jackson
REVIEWS
“The film, a comment on the materialism of the times and the dissatisfaction it breeds, holds attention under the direction of actor Peter Ustinov, but it is superficial. The script by Stanford Whitmore is peppered with bawdy language. Only the scenery, filmed on location in and around Cuernavaca in Mexico, is beautiful. Acting is above average with Burton in a subdued, deadly role. Miss Taylor does well as the waitress, her beauty, though matured, still with her. Bridges manages not to be overshadowed by the two.”
—New York Daily News (Ann Guarino)
“Hammersmith Is Out is another of those heavy-handed ‘the criminally insane are running the world’ parables that almost comes off—but not quite, in spite of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton giving their best performances of recent years.”
—New York (Judith Crist)
“An outrageously funny, free-wheeling farce that qualifies as a true sleeper, if any film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton can be so defined.”
—Newsweek (Paul D. Zimmerman)
“Hammersmith Is Out is both too elaborate and not quite witty enough to be especially convincing as contemporary morality comedy. . . . Both Bridges and Miss Taylor display a certain vulgar, ratty charm that is often funny. Not so funny are Burton and Ustinov (who, in addition to directing, plays Hammersmith’s keeper), but this may simply be a matter of ordinary material that has not been improved by direction or editing.”
—The New York Times (Vincent Canby)
Off set during the making of Hammersmith Is Out. Elizabeth was not afraid to take chances with fashion.
notes
HAMMERSMITH IS OUT, A COMEDIC MODERN SPIN ON FAUST, would be Elizabeth and Richard Burton’s final time together on the big screen, though they would next be paired in the twin TV movies Divorce His/Divorce Hers. Hammersmith was financed by mobile-home magnate J. Cornelius Crean, in his first dip into the arena of motion pictures. He hired an equally inexperienced producer under him, Alex Lucas, and Peter Ustinov to direct. Ustinov was an actor and a fine one, with Oscars to show for it, but he had few credits to his name as a director. He also portrayed one of the main characters in the film, the owner of the mental institution from which Hammersmith escapes.
Elizabeth and Burton thought the entire production would be a lark and had fun with it. To do the film they were even willing to forego their usual high salaries in return for a large profit share in the film. They were thrilled to be able to shoot the movie in Cuernavaca, Mexico, near a home the Burtons had in Puerto Vallarta. Burton had considerable experience playing Faust. In this case his titular role of Hammersmith was heir apparent to Mephistopheles, or perhaps the devil himself in his criminal ways. Elizabeth wore a shaggy blonde wig for most of the film in her role as a roadhouse waitress. At first the look and her accent are overwhelmingly distracting, but her characterization of Jimmie Jean grows comically endearing as the story unfolds. Beau Bridges, in a role once planned for Robert Redford, provided additional laughs as Billy Breedlove.
Elizabeth and Burton thought the entire production would be a lark and had fun with it.
Hammersmith Is Out was released to theaters in May 1972, but only distributed to a limited number of major cities. Later that year, Crean partnered with Cinerama to get the film out in wider release. Even then, the film did not generate a great deal of excitement either with the ticket-buying public or among critics. It was, however, appreciatively welcomed at the Berlin International Film Festival, where Elizabeth was given the award for Best Actress.
With Richard Burton, playing Hammersmith, the mental patient with a murderous streak
As Jimmie Jean
Divorce His/Divorce Hers
TV Movie
HARLECH TELEVISION/ABC
CAST
Richard Burton Martin Reynolds
Elizabeth Taylor Jane Reynolds
Carrie Nye Diana Proctor
Barry Foster Donald Trenton
Gabriele Ferzetti Turi Livicci
Daniela Surina Franca
Thomas Baptiste minister
Ronald Radd Angus McIntyre
Rudolph Walker Kaduna
Mark Colleano Tommy Reynolds
Rosalyn Landor Peggy Reynolds
Eva Griffiths Judith Reynolds
CREDITS
John Heyman (executive producer); Terence Baker, Gareth Wigan (producers); Waris Hussein (director); John Hopkins (screenplay); Ernst Wild, Gábor Pogány (photography); Stanley Myers (music); Ray Stannard (production design); Ian Whittaker (set decorations); Wolfgang Glattes, Francesco Cinieri (assistant directors); John Bloom (editor); Edith Head (Elizabeth Taylor’s costumes); Dorothy Edwards (costumes); Alexandre de Paris (hairstylist); Ron Berkeley (Richard Burton’s makeup); Alberto De Rossi (Elizabeth Taylor’s makeup)
RELEASE DATE: February 6, 1973
RUN TIME: 144 minutes, color
SUMMARY: After eighteen years of marriage, Martin and Jane Reynolds’ relationship has come to an end. How they reached this impasse is told in flashback and flash-forward his-and-hers memories. Martin’s work causes separations and eventually apathy; they quarrel over matters concerning their three children; and both husband and wife fall into affairs. Through all the pain they cause each other, Martin and Jane remain deeply connected to one another, but only time will tell if they can ever make their marriage work again.
With Richard Burton
notes
DIVORCE HIS/DIVORCE HERS WAS A STORY ABOUT THE FAILURE of a marriage told from both the husband and wife’s perspectives. The tale unfolded in two separate made-for-television movies, Divorce His and Divorce Hers, which aired in the ABC “Movie of the Week” series. They were rather epic TV productions, understandably so starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Filming took place in Bavaria and Rome at no little expense to the producers. Elizabeth and Burton, ultimate big-screen stars that they were, were not well versed in the common practices of television filming. Measures of expediency and cost-saving were not their strong suits, but ABC knew anything they worked on would generate a raft of publicity.
Elizabeth and Burton’s actual marriage was on the rocks. His brother, Ifor, passed away in 1972, after a fall he took following a night of drinking with Burton. Burton f
elt enormous guilt over his brother’s death and his drinking intensified. Elizabeth kept up with him and that often led to bitter quarrels. “Our natures do not inspire domestic tranquility,” Burton later said. Divorce His/Divorce Hers would be their last of eleven screen partnerships. Over the years he may have consistently won more praise than Elizabeth in terms of acting, but in the end Burton gave his wife credit for his success in films: “Elizabeth has taught me most of what I know about acting for the screen. Above all she’s taught me to take it seriously instead of just doing it for the money.”
REVIEWS
“The production can claim one unusual distinction: both parts are equally and excruciatingly boring. . . . Miss Taylor looks good and Mr. Burton sounds good. Leave it at that.”
—The New York Times (John J. O’Connor)
“When you’re a Liz Taylor-Richard Burton watcher just about anything goes. As long as the beauteous Liz’s hair is styled by Alexandre of Paris, she’s dripping in jewels by Kenneth Lane, and she’s wearing Edith Head designs, who could ask for anything more unless it’s the resonant voice of Richard Burton on the glamorous scene?”
—New York Daily News (Kay Gardella)
As Jane and Martin Reynolds
The legendary duo in their final film together
Night Watch
JOSEPH E. LEVINE AND BURT PRODUCTIONS/AVCO EMBASSY
CAST
Elizabeth Taylor Ellen Wheeler
Laurence Harvey John Wheeler
Billie Whitelaw Sarah Cooke
Robert Lang Appleby
Tony Britton Tony
Bill Dean Inspector Walker
Michael Danvers-Walker Sergeant Norris
Rosario Serrano Dolores
Pauline Jameson secretary
Linda Hayden girl in car
CREDITS
George W. George, Martin Poll (producers); Brian G. Hutton (director); Tony Williamson (screenplay); Evan Jones (additional dialogue), based on play by Lucille Fletcher; Billy Williams (photography); John Cameron (music); Peter James (set decorations); Scott Wodehouse (assistant director); John Jympson (editor); Yvonne Blake (costumes); Claudye Bozzacchi (hairstylist); Ron Berkeley (makeup)
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 1973 (U.S.)
RUN TIME: 99 minutes, color
SUMMARY: Ellen Wheeler, a widow haunted by the death of her first husband in a horrifying auto accident, does not get the attention she needs from her second husband, John, and spends much time alone, allowing her mind to wander. From a window of her posh London home she says she witnesses a murder in the house next door. Police turn up no evidence of a crime having been committed. This begins a series of (seemingly) false alarms set off by Ellen. All the while the police attempt to calm her while diligently following through on her leads; John humors her; Ellen’s friend Sarah attempts to be consoling; and the neighbor continues to carry out suspiciously timed planting projects of odd sizes. All eventually come to the end of their rope and whodunit leaves everyone in at the finish appalled.
As Ellen Wheeler
REVIEWS
“Night Watch isn’t a breathless, frightening thriller of the Hitchcock kind, although there are scenes reminiscent of some Hitchcock films. Its one burst of graphic violence may remind you of the shower scene in Psycho. But it is a riveting mystery laced with fine acting, and some of the other things audiences love: atmosphere, right down to the Chagalls and Matisses on the townhouse walls, and of course Miss Taylor’s eye-catching wardrobe designed by Valentino. Miss Taylor gives a fascinating performance.”
—Christian Science Monitor (Louise Sweeney)
“Elizabeth Taylor, and about time, has got herself a good picture and a whodunit at that. More than one Music Hall patron seemed to be stumbling from the first showing of Night Watch yesterday in stunned delight at the windup, a gorgeously brazen, logical swindle. . . . [With] beautiful color photography and Miss Taylor agonizing in some dazzling Valentino finery, it’s easy to play a smug Sherlock. But the glossy intimacy only deepens the surprise of the climax, a hair-raising stalk in the house next door, yeastily directed by Brian G. Hutton. Miss Taylor churns up a fine, understandable lather of nerves. Mr. Harvey is properly sleek, Miss Whitelaw makes a peppery parrot, and Mr. Lang is neat. The deliciously cunning postscript may make you feel like a perfect fool. Once in a while it’s fun.”
—The New York Times (Howard Thompson)
In rehearsals with Laurence Harvey and Billie Whitelaw
At the film’s premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival
With Harvey, in one of his final films
notes
NIGHT WATCH WAS BASED ON A PLAY THAT HAD A SUCCESSFUL run on Broadway in 1972, playing at the Morosco Theatre for a total of 121 performances starring Joan Hackett and Len Cariou. The suspense-filled mystery was the work of Lucille Fletcher, the author of the equally tense radio play Sorry, Wong Number, which was later turned into a hit film. George W. George, the producer of the stage production of Night Watch, oversaw the transition of the work from stage to screen himself, hiring Elizabeth’s X, Y & Zee director, Brian Hutton, to guide the way.
Tweaks from play to film included a location change from Manhattan’s Murray Hill to London, where the film was made in 1973. The film also trimmed the array of suspects featured in the original play. In spite of this tightening of the story, the film sees no loss of activity and appears to be littered with red herrings, which Hutton seemed to drop in a jarringly obvious manner but which served to make the ending all the more shocking to audiences not familiar with Fletcher’s play. In Night Watch, which is not well known and is underrated today, Hutton and his cast created an atmosphere of suspense surrounding a perpetually panicked Elizabeth Taylor reminiscent of certifiable classics Gaslight and Rear Window. Elizabeth herself was a wow at the center of it all, never letting up the hysterics for a moment, culminating in a bombshell of a finale.
Like Hammersmith Is Out, Night Watch was something of a pet project for Elizabeth, as her first attempt at mystery-suspense. She truly wanted to make the movie even though its budget was less than customary for her, so she was willing to gamble by accepting a percentage of the profits rather than a high up-front salary. Her husband in the film was played by BUtterfield 8 leading man Laurence Harvey. Night Watch would be one of his final screen appearances. During filming he suffered severe stomach pains and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died three months after Night Watch released in the U.S., in November 1973. In an interview before his death, Harvey spoke of his desire to work with his friend Elizabeth again and offered the tribute, “She is the most talented screen actress in the world today. Professionalism without equal.”
Like Hammersmith Is Out, Night Watch was something of a pet project for Elizabeth, as her first attempt at mystery-suspense.
A wardrobe test for Night Watch
Ash Wednesday
SAGITTARIUS PRODUCTIONS/PARAMOUNT PICTURES
CAST
Elizabeth Taylor Barbara Sawyer
Henry Fonda Mark Sawyer
Helmut Berger Erich
Keith Baxter David
Maurice Teynac Dr. Lambert
Margaret Blye Kate Sawyer
Monique van Vooren German woman
Henning Schlüter bridge player
Dino Mele Mario
Kathy Van Lypps Mandy
CREDITS
Dominick Dunne (producer); Larry Peerce (director); Jean-Claude Tramont (screenplay); Ennio Guarnieri (photography); Maurice Jarre (music); Philip Abramsom (art director); Steven Barnett (assistant director); Marion Rothman (editor); Annalisa Nasalli Rocca (costumes); Edith Head (Elizabeth Taylor’s costumes); Alexandre de Paris (Elizabeth Taylor’s hairstylist); Alberto De Rossi (makeup); Dr. Rodolphe Troques (technical advisor)
RELEASE DATE: November 1, 1973
RUN TIME: 99 minutes, color
SUMMARY: At age fifty-five and on the verge of losing her husband Mark, Barbara Sa
wyer makes a desperate attempt to endear him again by undergoing extensive face and body plastic surgery procedures. She has it done secretly at a hospital in Switzerland peopled by a cross-section of wealthy (and often famous) patients looking to shave decades off their appearance, including David, a well-known photographer who befriends Barbara. All goes perfectly and a slimmed-down and stunning Barbara travels to a ski lodge where she is to be reunited with Mark. As Mark’s arrival is continually delayed, Barbara makes friends and has a one-night affair with a young playboy. At last, Mark arrives and is impressed by his wife’s physical transformation back into the woman he first married, but it does not change the fact that he has fallen in love with another woman.
As Barbara Sawyer, rejuvenated
REVIEWS
“Despite the off-putting title, Ash Wednesday proves Elizabeth Taylor’s best vehicle in years. . . . The change from ugly duckling to swan is, of course, every actress’ dream role, and Liz makes the most of it, looking even younger than her actual off-screen years. . . . Jean-Claude Tramont’s screenplay, directed by Larry Peerce, makes one remember why millions of people used to enjoy movies.”
—Village Voice (Roger Dooley)
“Fonda is excellent in his climactic appearance, an unusually superb casting idea. Taylor’s performance also is very good, after discounting the before-and-after visuals which sometimes evoke unduly excessive huzzahs for ‘acting’ that really belong to the makeup crew. But relative to many of her recent roles, this is one of the strongest and most effective in some time. Her beauty remains sensational.”
Elizabeth Taylor Page 19
